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Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition. Hosts Renée Montagne and Steve Inskeep present the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go. While they are out traveling, David Greene can be heard as regular substitute host. Matt McCleskey and the WAMU news team bring the latest news from the Washington Metro area. Jerry Edwards keeps an eye on the daily commute. Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

In the Islamic Republic, a woman is typically not allowed to sing solos in public unless she performs for an all-female audience and is accompanied by an all-female band. The Iranian singer known as Hani is pursuing her dream in Iraq.

Class-action lawsuits accuse Anheuser-Busch of watering down Budweiser and other beers and then misleading consumers about their alcohol content. The company denies the claims; in tests commissioned by NPR, samples of Budweiser were found to be in line with their advertised alcohol content.

Three years after an earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's capital, it's clear that only a fraction of the $9 billion pledged in international relief reached the country. Most of what did arrive went to short-term relief, instead of rebuilding people's homes.

Yahoo touched off a debate about the effectiveness of telecommuting when it told employees last week that they may no longer work from home. The policy change was made, according to the company's internal email, to enhance workplace collaboration.

In eight years on the throne of St. Peter, Benedict XVI has angered Muslims, offended Jews and made controversial comments about the spread of AIDS. But the scandal that has most haunted him is the abuse of children by pedophile priests.

The Obama administration is offering more direct aid to Syrian rebels, who are fighting to topple Bashar Assad's regime. The conflict has left 70,000 people dead and a diplomatic solution seems far out of reach. Secretary of State John Kerry was delivering the news to Syrian opposition figures at a conference in Rome Thursday.

The powerful head of Mexico's teacher's union is in jail charged with embezzling about $160 million in union funds. Prosecutors claim some of the money went to plastic surgery, real estate in the U.S. and other luxury expenses.

It's thought that the province of Idlib in northern Syria might be the first to fall under the control of anti-government rebels. If that were to happen, Idlib, which borders Turkey, would become an unofficial buffer zone, where rebel fighters could regroup and aid workers could get help to the displaced. But one key government-controlled army base is standing in the way.

Kenyans go to the polls next week to choose a new president. The last election was followed by allegations of vote rigging and weeks of deadly tribal violence. NPR's Gregory Warner sat down with a few perpetrators of that violence in a bar to watch the Kenyan presidential debate. And to find out what, if anything, has changed this time around.

It's expected that more than one million software and programming jobs will open up in the United States between now and 2020. But the country's educational system is not on track to train enough people to fill those jobs.

For years federal regulators cracked down on online gambling, deeming it illegal. But in 2011, the Justice Department changed its mind and now states are beginning to see an opportunity. Renee Montagne talks to David Schwartz of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas about these new laws, and what they mean for the future of gambling.

At a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, FAA administrator Michael Huerta explained to lawmakers what the sequester means to the aviation industry. He said he has limited ability to avoid furloughs for key personnel, such as air traffic controllers. That could lead to delays for passengers and the closing of towers.

From "dead cat bounce," which originated in the 1980s, to "cold fish," which was coined by Shakespeare, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms explores the origins of more than 10,000 nonliteral sayings.

Automatic spending cuts are scheduled to take effect Friday. Over time, the across-the-board spending cuts could slow economic growth and lead to hundreds of thousands of government employees going out on furlough.

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